Evidence-based guidelines must meet the following criteria:
- (1) the scope and application are clear;
- (2) authorship is stated and any conflicts of interest disclosed;
- (3) authors represent all pertinent clinical fields or other means of input have been used;
- (4) the development process is explicitly stated;
- (5) the guideline is grounded in evidence;
- (6) the evidence is cited and grated;
- (7) the document itself is clear and practical;
- (8) the document is flexible in use, with exceptions noted or provided for with general statements;
- (9) measures are included for use in systems improvement; and
- (10) the guideline has scheduled reviews and updating.